Boulder's Arapahoe Campus receives grant to expand rewards program

Boulder's Arapahoe Campus recently received a $9,000 grant to expand a program that rewards its high school students for good behavior.

Teachers and other adults give cards to students caught showing "REAL" characteristics — "Respect, Excellence, Achievement and Leadership." Students redeem the cards, worth a quarter each, for items such as school supplies, healthy snacks, yearbooks, gift cards and bus passes at a rewards center. Students also can save up for $5 gift cards.

"The whole school community has really embraced the program," said Bianca Gallegos, assistant principal at the Arapahoe Campus. "We've seen students just really thrive. It's a structured way to receive positive reinforcement. They get to work toward something that they want to earn."

The school first piloted the program last school year, with teachers giving out almost 6,000 "REAL" cards. The school also reported a 9 percent decrease in the number of students sent to the office for disciplinary action.

The program uses a strengths-based approach. Students earn REAL cards based on their personal strengths, including being a leader, being respectful, finishing an assignment, helping a peer and having great attendance.

The grant, from Boulder's Youth Opportunities Program, will allow the school to double the number of cards students can earn, with a goal of further reducing the need to discipline students.

Grant money also will go to provide experiences as whole-class rewards. Those rewards could include field trips to museums or theater productions.

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"We want to provide experiences that some of our students wouldn't have access to otherwise," Gallegos said.

Last school year, students from the Gay Straight Alliance, the Forensics Career and Technical Education class, Energy Challenge Club, Leadership Club and the Automotive and Collision Repair class helped run, stock and advertise the rewards center, making suggestions on what to stock.

Julie Graff, the school's interventionist, oversees the store. She said future ideas include teaching students how to train other students in running and creating a work schedule for the center.

"Everyone loves being acknowledged for doing something positive," she said. "Cashing in their cards for supplies at the store is rewarding their behavior on a deeper and immediate level."

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